A Colombian gas veteran

Colombia

Yesid Gasca, general manager of Surenergy, talks to The Energy Year about the current situation of natural gas in Colombia, its future prospects, the company’s activities across the natural gas value chain and its expansion plans. Surenergy develops projects covering the entire natural gas value chain.

What is the current situation of the natural gas market in Colombia, and what are its future prospects?
We’ve been in the oil industry for 28 years, and there’s always been talk about limited gas availability for the country. However, Colombia has always found ways to extend its reserves. Currently there are high expectations for immediate production on the north coast, such as in the Sinú-9 area and in the department of Córdoba. This will give us some breathing space until offshore production begins.
There’s discussion about importing gas from Venezuela, but we believe Colombia will be self-sufficient in the coming years with increased domestic production. We have about six or seven years of projected availability, but new expectations always emerge to extend this timeline.
We think production will meet demand until the offshore boom arrives. The country always has an ace up its sleeve in oil and gas production. Even with the normal, constant and continuous demand we’ve had, we believe we are self-sufficient.

What are your main activities in the natural gas value chain?
We pride ourselves on being the only company in the country that manages the entire natural gas value chain. We work from the wellhead – improving production with annular compressors – to gas treatment and purification, distribution, transportation and final energy sale. We have experience in LNG, CNG, gas distribution and power generation.
We have installed a compression capacity of around 205 mcf per day [5.8 mcm per day] in compression. Our experience has allowed us to take advantage of gas resources in isolated fields, closing many gas flaring chimneys and optimising reserves. We have been very important allies for operators in isolated oilfields that are not interconnected to pipelines.
In fields where gas was previously flared, we generate alternatives, for example, for on-site power generation, or we treat it, compress it and transport it through virtual pipelines or regular pipelines to consumption points. We have also helped operators reduce their energy costs by 30-35% by switching from diesel to natural gas for power generation in oilfields.

Can you tell us about your power generation projects and expansion plans?
We currently have 102 MW installed, mainly in oilfields. For example, in Llanos 34, we have an installed capacity of 32 MW, covering 60% of the electricity demand. We are also developing hybrid contracts, where we installed 9 MW in thermal generation and a 7.5-MW solar park. We alternate the two energies for pumping crude oil.
Our goal for 2026 is to reach 200 MW, combining thermal and solar generation. We are currently building another 40 MW of solar capacity. Additionally, we have advanced with the construction of a 125-140 MW thermal plant, and we hope to clarify the gas supply for its development.
We support the production of 83,000 bopd in the country with our electricity generation. We take advantage of gas in isolated fields, optimising reserves and lowering costs. Where gas is not available, we transport it in trucks for the production of heavy crude oil.

What are your most important projects in gas treatment and compression?
Our star project currently is Sinú-9. This project is a 10-year bill-of-materials contract, and we’re installing all the facilities for gas treatment and compression.
The first phase, which ends on August 25 2024, will have a capacity of 30 mcf [850,000 cubic metres] per day, and the second phase will increase to 40 mcf [1.13 mcm] per day, with our estimated investment being USD 18 million. The field has a total projection of 130 mcf [3.68 mcm] per day, and we’re hoping to be involved in future expansions.
We also have projects in La Cañada and María Conchita. In La Cañada, we set up the entire treatment infrastructure for an isolated field that had been flaring gas for 10 years. We remove condensates, natural gas and LPG, and treat the natural gas for distribution to 26 towns via a virtual CNG supply.
In María Conchita, La Guajira, we have a plant with a capacity of 24 mcf [679,200 cubic metres] per day, with plans to expand to 30 mcf [850,000 cubic metres] per day. These projects demonstrate our ability to work across various scales and conditions in gas treatment and compression.

What are the company’s future plans in the gas and energy market?
We’re exploring several opportunities. In the LNG sector, we believe the future will be in displacing diesel in heavy transport. We’re negotiating to establish a 5-mcf-per-day [141,500-cubic-metre-per day] LNG plant. We already have the plant; we just need to secure the gas supply and offtakers to make it profitable.
For renewables, our subsidiary Girsol will focus on solar and biomass projects. We’re planning two 40-MW solar farms and other smaller generation projects, including a 9-MW project in Huila for interconnection to the system.
We’re also considering becoming direct operators of gasfields, seeking investors to drill wells with a high probability of gas production. Our goal is to complete the entire chain, from extraction, to delivery, to the end customer. We believe we have the capacity to be operators, given our experience in direct wellhead operation in projects such as Sinú-9, La Cañada, La Hocha and María Conchita.
In the coming years, we’ll continue to accompany oil companies in extensive tests for isolated gasfields, providing treatment and compression equipment and CNG transport. We see ourselves as an important ally of Ecopetrol and other operators in optimising smaller fields and isolated gas resources.

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